“The last time he was sighted... it’s possible the Sage is already here in Sharloin.”

“Yes. That’s what we thought, which is why we returned here first. From now on, we plan to continue tracking him within and around Sharloin, but we all need to be careful. We never know when or how he might show up.”

The Sage was a bastard who had spent nearly two years in the South. He lived in hiding at a stronghold, but there might’ve been more helpers extending his reach across the region.

Yuder agreed with Ever’s judgment. Kishiar gave a small nod, then folded the map.

But the next question he asked wasn’t about the Sage.

“I’m guessing Naham must’ve come here around the same time as well. Did you manage to get any information on him?”

“We did pursue him alongside the Sage. But he was moving alone, and maybe because of his ability... it wasn’t easy to catch his trail.”

Opening with what sounds like an excuse isn’t a great way to report—but based on experience, whenever Ever said something like that, she always followed it up with something that flipped the whole picture. So Yuder listened without worry.

“But our team thoroughly investigated every rumor coming from the vicinity of their stronghold, and we were able to discover something.”

“What is it?”

“At the time when the Sage was thought to have arrived at the stronghold, there were reports from several villages around the desert of loud explosive sounds. The locals believed they were monster fights. Apparently, that had happened before.”

A faint smile formed on Kishiar’s lips.

“But I assume there was no ‘evidence,’ right?”

“No. We couldn’t find anyone who saw it directly. That’s why we dug deeper…”

Beneath the desert sands lurked dangerous monsters with tough shells. They sometimes fought and devoured each other, and the sounds from those battles could be mistaken for explosions—at least, that was how the villagers explained it.

However, according to Ever’s investigation, those incidents had notably increased starting about a year ago.

“So I started thinking—what if the villagers just mistook the sounds? There are few settlements in that area, but in the regions a bit farther away, no one mentioned such monsters.”

“In other words, if it was the Sage or Naham, their powers might’ve been enough to manipulate a few nearby villages into misinterpreting the noise from the stronghold.”

“Exactly. And according to the people there, this latest explosion was more intense and lasted longer than anything they’d heard before. When we consider that the Sage’s trail reappeared after that… perhaps…”

Ever spoke more carefully than usual, but with firm conviction.

“Naham might have arrived at the stronghold before the Sage, and clashed with him when he returned. The villagers simply mistook the sound for monsters fighting.”

The Sage later left the stronghold. That meant that despite the disturbance, he hadn’t died—at least not then.

But did that mean Naham lost?

Yuder didn’t think so. A guy like Naham wouldn’t just go down, no matter how badly he was [N O V E L I G H T] injured or how many capable allies he lost.

‘If the Sage left that place, then Naham must’ve chased after him. Which means that bastard will also end up coming to Sharloin. Maybe he’s already lurking here, just like the Sage.’

While Yuder was thinking, Ever continued speaking.

“If we’d been able to confirm their stronghold location more precisely, we could’ve been more certain based on traces left behind… but I figured it was better to come back and report right away.”

Her mission wasn’t to locate the Star of Nagran’s base, but to chase the Sage and get payback for last time. Knowing that, Ever had left Debran behind and returned first.

Kishiar praised Ever’s decision and the information she brought.

“You didn’t overlook even the smallest suspicious detail and dug until you found something—that’s excellent. But I trust you also know better than anyone that for this to carry full meaning, you can’t stop here.”

“Yes. I’ll make sure to catch that cunning bastard myself so he never escapes the Cavalry again.”

Ever clenched her fist tightly.

“Good. Then let’s assign locating the exact position of the stronghold to Debran, plus Pruelle, Reblin, and a few of the successful applicants willing to assist us. It’s not something that has to be done right now, but it still needs doing.”

“I’ll prepare them.”

“In addition, let’s pull a few members still in the capital and some stationed in the east and west to help track down the central base of the Star of Nagran. There’s a lot to handle at once, and it’s going to be a headache, but if we end it here, the next part will be easier—so let’s push through.”

In other words, even if the Sage and Naham acted out again, Kishiar wasn’t going to let them slip back into their bases.

Everyone, including Yuder, bowed their heads in acknowledgment of Kishiar’s resolve.

“Yes, understood!”

After Ever and the Elder siblings stepped back, Kishiar spoke to Yuder.

“Of all times, it had to be now—when Duke Hern and Kiole Diarca show up—that the Sage and Naham arrive in Sharloin too. On top of that, we have to worry about potential dimensional rifts and natural disasters.”

“It’s just how it worked out, I guess.”

“We can’t afford to miss a single thing. That’s going to be a real pain.”

His tone was light, but the fingers tapping lightly at his temple and the subdued gleam in his crimson eyes said otherwise. From those small signals, Yuder could only guess at the whirlwind of complex thoughts spinning inside Kishiar’s mind.

‘Even so, he won’t let it show. That’s just who he is.’

That didn’t mean Yuder had nothing to say.

He drew a deep breath, then spoke bluntly.

“I actually think this is good.”

“Hmm?”

“The rift problem aside, the rest were all things we had to face eventually. They just arrived a bit earlier and at the same time. If we can swing once and take down several targets at once, that’s much more efficient, don’t you think?”

Yuder raised a hand and lightly formed a fist.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Just give the order whenever you’re ready. I’m already prepared.”

Kishiar stared blankly at Yuder’s expressionless face. Then, a moment later, he suddenly burst into laughter like a blossom blooming.

“Mm… Have I ever told you how every time you say something so bold, cool, and reliable, I fall for you all over again?”

“…What?”

“No? Then how about—‘makes me want to kiss you right now’?”

“What are you even saying all of a sudden?”

“I mean I want to kiss you right now.”

Any hypothetical assumptions were always meaningless when it came to Kishiar.

Because he always did exactly what he said.

***

“Hrrk… Damn it… Damn iiiit. It hurts… It hurts so much.”

Diemon was curled up in the corner of an empty warehouse, crying. From his hideously wounded hands, wrapped in tattered cloth, blood and pus continuously oozed out.

“That bastard Naham… I’ll kill him… I swear I’ll kill him…!”

Not long ago, his hands had been perfectly fine.

That is, until they had safely escaped the capital with the Sage and returned to the South.

Up until then, Diemon had been basking in pride over the fact that he alone had managed to escort the Sage out of that nightmarish place unharmed.

Those who used to boast about serving the Sage up close and looked down on Diemon had all fallen away. The only one left was the “copycat” they had all despised—Diemon.

He thought it was proof of his strength. He was brimming with pride, thrilled, and filled with dreams of boasting about it to others once they returned.

But when they arrived at the stronghold village, what greeted them was silence—an unfamiliar, complete silence.

Silence. Yes. Absolute silence.

The villagers who should’ve welcomed them were barely anywhere to be seen. Neither Sera, who was supposed to maintain order in the Sage’s absence, nor any familiar faces were present. The only ones remaining were a handful of exhausted, spiritless people.

The village looked as though it had been abandoned for months. Diemon wasn’t the only one shocked. Even the Sage, who always seemed to know everything, wore a look of baffled disbelief, as though he hadn’t expected this either.

And then, as if he’d been waiting for them—Naham appeared.

“Fucking Naham… That cursed bastard… Even tearing him limb from limb and feeding him to wild animals wouldn’t be enough…!”

Muttering curses under his breath, Diemon recalled Naham’s face from that moment.

He was smiling. That twisted smile on his scarred, burned face—so grotesque it nearly sent Diemon fleeing in terror, bringing back nightmares of their battle in the capital.

If he hadn’t reminded himself that he was the only one left to protect the Sage, he really would’ve run.

And Naham had ignored the trembling, terrified Diemon and spoken directly to the Sage.

“Didn’t expect me to be here first, did you?”

“What the hell is this, Naham? Don’t tell me you harmed the ones who were supposed to be here?”

“Harmed? My brothers and sisters? As if.”

Naham gave a chilling smile. Then, with a gesture, he called forth people who had been hiding.

Diemon had expected them to be overjoyed at seeing the Sage. But their expressions were… off. Then, one of them, looking confused and somewhat resentful, asked,

“Sage… didn’t you say you were going to meet the nobles to protect us? Then why didn’t you come back even once while the others were leaving? We waited for you.”

Others began to speak as well, one by one.

“Sage. Sera left with the Southerners, saying she was following your orders. She never came back. Where did she go?”

“Sage. Is it true that the Star of Nagran is working with the Cavalry?”

“Sage. Did you really go for our sake? Why is Diemon the only one who came back with you?”

“Sage. Naham said you wouldn’t keep your promise. Is it true? Can’t we go to a safe place anymore?”

“Sage.”

“Sage…”

It was a scene terrifying enough to haunt one’s dreams. Diemon recoiled in horror—but the Sage remained calm. Standing firm, he asked Naham,

“What have you done to them, Naham?”

“I awakened them to the truth. Just like I was.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Why would you think that? I did it all for the Star of Nagran.”

At those words, the Sage’s face went pale.

And then Naham, smiling, raised his hand.

“Well then, shall we have the conversation we couldn’t finish back then? A truly honest conversation.”